Scout Notes – Gameweek 21 – Sunday

Daniel Sturridge notches on his return from injury as Luis Suarez plunders the points yet again. Steven Gerrard continues a series of consistent displays as Charlie Adam and Peter Crouch impress for Stoke. Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo grab a goal apiece as City see off Newcastle, while Samir Nasri is stretchered off and Yaya Toure also withdrawn due to a back problem. Sergio Aguero hands City a major boost by declaring he is set to return for next weekend’s home game against Cardiff:

SAS Back on Track
Liverpool’s trip to the Britannia looked no easy call. Stoke had been beaten just once at home all season and shipped a mere seven goals in front of their own fans but, with Luis Suarez running amok yet again and sidekick Daniel Sturridge hogging the headlines with a superb cameo upon his return from injury, the visitors put five past the Potters yesterday afternoon. In a weekend where many of the frontline alternatives failed to live up to expectations, Suarez showed yet again why he’s head and shoulders above the rest this term – the Uruguayan is the only forward to have picked up double figures over the nine matches so far, with two goals and maximum bonus earning a 13-point haul.

Sturridge’s goal and assist in just 24 minutes off the bench brings him firmly onto Fantasy radars ahead of four home games (AVL, EVE, ARS, SWA) and trips to West Brom and Fulham in the next six for the Merseysiders. His exploits have been understandably overshadowed by Suarez this season but there’s no denying the former Chelsea man’s superb consistency – he has now scored or assisted in 10 of 13 appearances, averaging 6.5 points per game. Priced at just 9.1, with an ownership of 12%, his Sunday afternoon endeavours have persuaded many managers to pencil him into wildcard drafts over the last 24 hours.

Gerrard Maintains Consistency
Back in the first XI, the Reds skipper picked up the points once again thanks to a converted spot-kick. Gerrard’s resurgence as a viable Fantasy asset has clearly coincided with Suarez’ return from suspension in Gameweek 6. The England captain failed to produce returns in any of his first five league appearances but, when fielded in the same starting XI as the Uruguayan, has now scored or assisted in 10 of 11 – an outstanding level of consistency. Whilst his owners and would-be suitors will be expecting more, Gerrard admitted post-match he’s set to be deployed in a more withdrawn role, suggesting he may have to rely upon set-piece and penalty duties to continue racking up the points with such regularity.

Adam and Crouch Proving Value
The former Liverpool duo are ticking over as solid, mid-price Fantasy assets after grabbing a goal apiece in yesterday’s 5-3 home loss. At home, in particular, Crouch has picked up over the last few matches – he has now netted in three of the last four at the Britannia and since returning to the Stoke first-team in Gameweek 9, has produced 56 points from 13 appearances. This equates to an average of 4.3 ppg, offering decent value for a 5.5 price forward ahead of back-to-back games against Palace and Sunderland. Similarly, Adam is another under-the-radar option. Despite playing just 1,048 minutes this term, the Scot’s long-range effort against Rodgers’ outfit took his tally for the season to five goals – equalling his combined haul over the previous two campaigns. If he does earn continued game time under Mark Hughes, Adam – at 5.6, with an ownership under 1% – could be one to consider, given his current scoring ratio.

Dzeko and Negredo in the Goals as City Keep Winning
Having racked up five goals between them in the midweek cup win over West Ham, it was no surprise to see Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo lead the line again as Manuel Pellegrini started with a 4-4-2 at Newcastle. The Bosnian notched for the second time in three league matches before making way on 51 minutes, whilst Negredo benefitted from being handed the full 90 minutes for only the second time in City’s last eight road trips.

The Spaniard’s away displays have been notoriously poor so far – prior to yesterday, he had produced just a single goal and assist on the road all season but his last-ditch strike helped boost his recent raft of new investors. With four home games in six (CAR, CHE, SUN, STO) and a trip to Norwich also on their agenda, City have the platform to continue the form which has harvested six consecutive wins, making Negredo a likely target over the next few days. Given that he’s produced 15 goals in as many games in all competitions at the Etihad, Fantasy interest looks set to escalate regardless of Sergio Aguero’s availability.

Injury Worries for Pellegrini but Aguero Return is Imminent
After the game, the City boss confirmed all three of his substitutions were down to injury concerns.

“Nasri has a serious injury with his knee – it was directly a red card. Maybe it’s medial ligaments. We’ll see tomorrow what happens with him – Yaya’s had a problem with his back all week and it was worse today during the game. Dzeko also has a problem with his calf from another foul by Newcastle.”

Certainly, the nature of Nasri’s withdrawal is worrying for his owners. Stretchered off following a poor challenge by Newcastle’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, the Frenchman may well be facing an extended spell on the sidelines – Jesus Navas’ Fantasy prospects could be set for an upturn if Pellegrini’s initial fears are realised. Toure owners will be hoping his withdrawal is merely precautionary. There’s every likelihood he’ll be rested for the midweek FA Cup replay against Blackburn before City square up to Cardiff next weekend. However, given that Pellegrini also rested the Ivorian for the previous league match at the Etihad, his recovery will be keenly monitored.

Encouragingly for Pellegrini and Fantasy managers alike, Sergio Aguero posted a hugely optimistic update on his return from a calf complaint. In an interview with his own official website, the Argentine has revealed he expects to be 100% fit to face Cardiff at the Etihad next Saturday afternoon:

“I’ll be ready for action this week. My injury is improving slowly. Recovery’s going very well. I’m back to sprinting on the field and moving the ball around. I’ll be fully recovered by the Cardiff game and depending on how the week’s training goes I may be able to show up for a few minutes on the second leg against Blackburn for the FA Cup.”

Kolarov in the Points Again
The City left-back continued his recent impressive showings by picking up a 12 point haul in yesterday’s win at St James’ Park. With an assist, clean sheet and maximum bonus, Kolarov, at 5.3 in FPL, is starting to make a persuasive case for his inclusion as a regular under Pellegrini – he has now returned a goal and four assists over his last six league starts. Indeed, the Serbian has now been named in the City first XI in six of the last eight Gameweeks to suggest he is likely to start the majority of matches ahead of Gael Clichy. However, given that the latter has started 10 of his side’s first 21 fixtures, there’s no doubt Kolarov’s acquisition doesn’t come without risk. Intriguingly, yesterday’s 2-0 win was the first time in 10 attempts that City have produced a clean sheet with Kolarov in the starting line-up.